The Democrat challenging Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee claimed the incumbent is under “tremendous” pressure due to the Georgia case against former President Donald Trump brought by District Attorney Fani Willis.
Robert Patillo, the former executive director of the Rainbow PUSH social justice group started by Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is now challenging McAfee, made the remarks in a Wednesday interview with WSB-TV.
Patillo told the outlet that his decision to run for McAfee’s judgeship was “[n]ot at all” motivated by the Trump case, telling the outlet “we have a lot of issues in the judicial system that far perceived Fani Willis and Donald Trump, and it will exist long after Fani Willis and Donald Trump.”
He said, “The most important thing is that we ensure that every single person, whether you are a pauper or president, that you are treated exactly the same by our criminal justice system.”
Despite his remarks to WSB-TV, he previously told an Atlanta radio host in March that McAfee’s oversight of the Trump case allowed the court “to turn into a clown show” that he would not allow if he were the judge.
While fielding allegations his candidacy is a “pressure campaign” by Willis to influence McAfee’s decisions in the Trump case, Patillo rebutted, “I task anybody to look at the last two weeks or so of these court proceedings, where Atlanta appears to be a giant reality show, that is embarrassed the city, and tell me that looks like a well-run courtroom.”
McAfee (pictured above), meanwhile, conceded to WSB-TV that his political opponents likely saw the Trump case as an opportunity when asked if it brought more attention to his race.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” McAfee told the outlet.
He added, “I think I’m sitting with you here today in large part because of that.”
The judge suggested to the outlet that the pressure of the case is not an issue, noting his ability to “compartmentalize” and “stay focused.”
“I think both sides at some points have had a reason maybe not to be fully satisfied with me but that comes with the work,” McAfee told the outlet.
He added, “The job is not to focus on how you’re going to be perceived and just call it as best you can.”
McAfee faced sharp criticism from Democrats after he allowed the attempt to disqualify Willis over her affair with her former special counsel, Nathan Wade, who remains married.
As a result of McAfee’s decision to allow the disqualification attempt, it was alleged that Willis and Wade had been romantically linked since at least early 2022. Wade was paid at least $650,000 during his tenure on the Georgia Trump case and paid for luxurious vacations with Willis using his company credit card.
Defendants seeking to disqualify Willis similarly surfaced witnesses willing to testify that Willis and Wade began their relationship as early as 2019.
Willis and Wade maintained their relationship began in 2022. They similarly claimed Willis repaid Wade for the vacations with unrecorded cash transactions or by paying for excursions and expenses during their travels.
McAfee received criticism from Republicans when, despite these revelations, the judge ruled against disqualifying Willis, and instead allowed Wade to resign from the prosecution. McAfee then allowed the defendants to appeal his decision.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
